Are Pa. mail ballots rejected because of partisanship? Not likely, according to new study

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A new study suggests partisanship has had little to nothing to do with whether mail-in ballots are being tossed out at county election offices.

Conducted in a partnership between Carlisle-based Dickinson College and Keep Our Republic, a civic education nonprofit, the research found that 1.94% of Democratic ballots and 2.01% of Republican ballots were rejected because the outer envelopes were undated or misdated. Overall rejection rates were low and didn't vary based on the counties' political makeup, age, education, income or racial demographics.

The findings were released a week before a federal court ruled that county election workers in Pennsylvania should count mail-in and absentee ballots even if there's a mistake on the outer envelope — an issue that split the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania at 3-3, resulting in these ballots being cast aside.

More: Pa. counties must accept undated, incorrectly dated mail ballots, federal court rules

"I think it's been helpful to have this scrutiny," said Tom Vanaskie, a retired judge and member of Keep Our Republic. "But I think in the end what we'll see is partisanship does not have role in the counting of the votes."

Other notable findings from Dickinson associate professor Sarah Niebler and student Adam Mast:

• Democrats constituted the vast majority of mail-in ballot requests (71%), with Republicans (22%) more likely to vote in person.

• Democrats (20%) were a bit less likely to neglect turning in the mail-in ballot they requested when compared to Republicans (23%).

• Older voters both requested and turned in mail-in ballots at higher rates than other age demographics.

• Older voters also were less likely to have a ballot rejected because of an error than younger voters.

Vanaskie said he wasn't shocked by the findings and that he was encouraged by the court's decision to count ballots that included minor envelope errors.

"If the issue is to count all the voters, and you're making sure that a technical error doesn't disqualify a vote, you're honoring the wish of the voter to have her or his vote counted. This is not a material defect," he said.

"What I certainly think is we need to do whatever we can to improve confidence (in elections)."

Though misdated and undated ballot envelopes are rarely submitted, it's possible for their omission to affect a close race. The federal court opinion for these votes to be counted noted that about 10,500 of the 1.2- million mail and absentee ballots from the 2022 midterms included these kinds of mistakes.

Inside the Beltway

U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) are promoting legislation billed as assistance for miners suffering from a serious aftereffect of their vocation.

Casey and Fetterman on Nov. 21 joined congressional colleagues, United Mine Works of America brass and Lungs at Work founder Lynda Glagola in Uniontown to discuss the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act. They pitched it as vital aid for miners and surviving family members to more easily access their benefits without processing delays.

“Coal miners have moved our nation forward for generations, risking their lives and their long-term health to power our factories and heat our homes,” Casey said.

“This bill will ensure that every coal miner that is suffering from black lung disease receives the benefits they are entitled to. Coal miners have risked their lives for our Nation and I’ll keep fighting to make sure they aren’t left behind.”

More than 21,000 commonwealth residents work in the mining, quarrying and oil and gas sector, according to a Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry report from October.

Of those workers, 2,160 are underground mining machine operators, a department spokesperson said. An additional 8,530 are considered extraction employees.

“This bill will help coal miners affected by black lung access the benefits they’re owed and deliver justice and care for people across Appalachia,” Fetterman said.

“Coal miners do some of the toughest work on earth and have played a critical role in Pennsylvania’s regional economy and powering our nation. We cannot turn our backs on them now as they deal with the fallout of extreme occupational hazards."

And the horse race

State Rep. Patty Kim (D-Dauphin) is planning a move to the upper chamber of the Pennsylvania Capitol.

Kim in October declared her intention to challenge state Sen. John DiSanto (R-Dauphin). Her campaign announcement noted that she won't seek re-election to her House seat so she can focus on the Senate run.

“My public service started in 2005 with a run for Harrisburg City Council when my daughter was just one year old,” Kim said in her announcement.

“In 2012, I came to the state House with the opportunity to serve a broader portion of this community. I’ve fought for policies to help working families — raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, providing paid family leave, addressing the rise of gun violence, and expanding access and affordability of healthcare."

Kim lives in Harrisburg with her husband and son, and her daughter attends Temple University.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: PA voting rights ruling, study latest on undated mail ballots issue